Mike

About Mike

Mike gets all the racing games because he understands that stuff even though he doesn't drive.
I keep wondering if a visual novel’s truly going to bowl me over.  I don’t really like it as a storytelling medium and there’s always the pervy underbelly that makes me want to steer clear.  Kamikaze Lassplanes, at the very least, injects traditional shoot-em-up gameplay into a story about women […]

Kamikaze Lassplanes – PS5 Review

 in PS5 / Reviews  tagged anime / empire / inky dreams / kamikaze lassplanes / narrative choices / romance / shoot em up / transformers / visual novel / war by
I’ve played a few of these precise, 3D platformers over the years. I can’t say I’ve found a truly bad one but the biggest metric for success tends to rest on the patience of the person playing. The Confinement is the latest attempt to deliver a quick-fire adrenalin rush from […]

The Confinement – PS5 Review

 in PS5 / Reviews  tagged 3d / futuristic / mr. dev studio / obstacle course / online leaderboards / parkour / precision platformer / the confinement / the floor is lava / time trial by
Crystal Dynamics have been restarting the heart of the Legacy of Kain series with some stellar remasters. It led to speculation of a new game and that has, unfortunately, arrived. Legacy of Kain: Ascendance is a petite slice of 2D platforming and combat that, rather than wet the appetite for […]

Legacy of Kain: Ascendance – PS5 Review

 in PS5 / Reviews  tagged 2D Platformer / ariel / bit bot media / crystal dynamics / elalith / kain / legacy of kain ascendance / raziel / retro aesthetic / the dead shall rise by
It is very strange to a Limited Run Games developed title on sale. I know they do dabble in game preservation but I’ve mostly seen them as a publisher rather than being more hands on. MARVEL MaXimum Collection is a diverse packaging of some 90’s classics and a couple of […]

MARVEL MaXimum Collection – PS5 Review

 in PS5 / Reviews  tagged 2d platforming / captain america / carnage / limited run games / marvel maximum collection / maximum carnage / retro collection / separation anxiety / shoot em up / side-scrolling beat 'em up / Spider-Man / superheroes / supervillains / venom / x-men arcade by
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Crimson Desert seems like something too good to be true. At least in the marketing, Pearl Abyss’ attempt at an open-world sandbox was throwing out all the stops. I wasn’t too sure how a studio known for massively multiplayer adventures would transition into the realm of something single player. Turns […]

Crimson Desert – PS5 Review

 in PS5 / Reviews  tagged action adventure sandbox / crimson desert / faction quests / Fantasy / melee combat / pearl abyss / role playing / unarmed combat by
I can’t say I had high hopes for Marathon. The protracted development cycle, issues over stolen artwork and a general malaise around pre-release had me wondering if Bungie could still pull something out of the bag. I may not be all that into extraction shooters but Marathon‘s world of corporate […]

Marathon – PS5 Review

 in PS5 / Reviews  tagged bungie / corporate espionage / cyberpunk / designer's republic / extraction shooter / future aesthetic / marathon / online multiplayer only / robotic shell by
Perhaps it was inevitable to see Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered. After last year’s reworking of the two Soul Reaver games, it’s only right to give the follow-up the same treatment. As a game that doesn’t quite hold the same cache as the older titles, this Playstation 2-era effort retains […]

Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered – PS5 Review

 in PS5 / Reviews  tagged character action / crystal dynamics / eldritch gods / fate / free will / humans / kain / legacy of kain defiance remastered / nosgoth / raziel / third-person / vampires by
It’s kind of exciting to see visual novels that sidestep the usual genre trappings. Vampire Therapist comes from Little Bat Games and has a surprisingly mature approach to psychiatry. With insight from a licensed practitioner, this introspective talker offers an entry into the concepts at play and how better to […]

Vampire Therapist – PS5 Review

 in PS5 / Reviews  tagged cognitive distortions / education / gunslinger / little bat games / psychiatry / therapy / vampire therapist / visual novel by
It must be simulator month because we’re absolutely swimming in them. Figuratively, until Swimming Simulator or something equally banal turns up in the inbox. Today, I’ve got a hankering to run a nightclub in Disco Simulator. Coming from Games Incubator and Frozen Cave Studio, it’s a functional but tedious entry […]

Disco Simulator – PS5 Review

 in PS5 / Reviews  tagged bouncers / cleaners / dancing / disco simulator games incubator / drinking / frozen cave studio / management / nightclub tycoon / sandbox by
Whilst I watched a lot of Motorsport, drifting’s not really something I click with. Sure, getting sideways looks cool and disciplined but I’ve never seen it as efficient. That said, in the right set of circumstances, I’ll burn rubber on virtual tarmac. JDM: Japanese Drift Master is picking an obvious […]

JDM: Japanese Drift Master – PS5 Review

 in PS5 / Reviews  tagged dragon run / gaming factory / japan / jdm japanese drift master / manga / open-world racing game / sushi delivery / time trial / touge by